Yeast infection and Malaseb?

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Lairian

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Jan 23, 2015

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Hello!

I'm new to this community (and not an native English speaker so pardon my language mistakes). I have really bad skin problems with my kitty. This is my third sphynx but I've never seen anything like this before.

The problem was there right away I guess. The baby was shaking his legs quite a bit. I didn't really think much of that first but then he started to get these small dark brown spots on his feet and tail. (He doesn't really like me touching his tail so it has to be sore...). First time the doctor said he has a little yeast on his feet but nothing more.

The spots won't come off in a bath. His face is also covered in "dirt" every day even though I wipe it with a soft wet cloth every day. Now the spots were growing in number so the vet took another look at him. It's yeast she said (or some kind of fungus but didn't get the test results back yet).

The vet recommended that we put him on a non-wheat diet and I try to wash him with Malaseb shampoo. I did this yesterday and the poor thing went completely nuts when the shampoo had to sit for ten minutes. Well, first everything looked great, the skin was soft and almost all that brown stuff was gone, but today... The kitty's whole skin has turned dry and flaky and dark brown and it's peeling away.

What can I do? Can I put some lotion on him? Do I try to scratch some of the flaky parts off? I feel so bad for the kitty. Is the Malaseb supposed to work this way? I mean the vet told me it can dry the skin, but I never thought it could be this bad... And she also told me to do this twice a week, I really don't think his skin can handle that.

I would be so grateful if any of you had any experience with this kind of situation. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures right now.

Lairian

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Jan 23, 2015

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Thank you for your answer!
Here's a picture of his head. The top of his head looks okay, because I did try to put some lotion on it and then the dry brown skin just basically peeled off.
In the other picture you can see his paw.

Lairian

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Normally I don't put shampoo on the head, but the vet said that this Malaseb medicational shampoo needs to be put everywhere, the head also. So I rinsed it off really well and wiped with a wet towel many times. His head isn't the only part peeling, his hips look the same and also the top parts of front legs too. His back and belly are okay. I just don't know if this is the way the Malaseb should work.

Is there any way to get rid of the yeast infection? And where does a kitten get it from? He's six months old now. My old cat is fine, doesn't have any skin problems.

Lairian

Thank you for your answer!
Here's a picture of his head. The top of his head looks okay, because I did try to put some lotion on it and then the dry brown skin just basically peeled off.
In the other picture you can see his paw.

Gold Lairian

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Welcome to sphynxlair, good to have you. Sorry your baby is having this
issue. Do you use world best cat litter? I just ask because it's bad to cause
yeast infections. I wouldn't use lotions on him. They are toxic to cats.
Anything you ever use on them Google to see if it's toxic.
Also anything you use or have in your home. I've read the Malaseb, is
what to bathe them in for yeast infection. If it's torture for him. I would see
If there is anything else. Keep us updated about him.

Lairian

Lairian

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After a good night sleep his skin looks a whole lot better. Almost all that flaky skin is gone, but shaking his paws is still there. He's also very jumpy and shy. I feel like if I have to put him through this Malaseb twice a week he won't trust me ever again

I use clumping cat litter, not world's bet since the vet recommended not to have any wood-based litter.

Does anyone know what really causes the yeast infection? I'm just wondering if the shampoo and change of food is really going to do the trick. Right now he's eating Royal Canin's Sensitivity Control Lamm and Rice. But this has been only since Wednesday so I don't know if should see the results already.

Lairian

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Don't have any experience with cat yeast infections. But I'm hoping it'll clear up soon. My suggestion is to maybe rub a bit of coconut oil ( safe for cats)instead of the lotion (not sure if it's toxic or not). Hope more members can provide you with some answers on possible treatment and what causes the year infection.

Gold Lairian

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That company used to make maleseb whipes. You might want to look into them. The yeast can spread across the body and can cause pain. If the cat isn't getting relief you should seek a more aggressive treatment from a vet.
Good luck and keep us updated.
Also, use disposable gloves when using the medicated shampoo. It will kill hurt your hands with the repeted use you need to do for the cat.

Lairian

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Dec 21, 2014

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Paulina- I was wondering how you little fella is? I was having similar issues with Harry when I stumbled across your post. I bought and used Malaseb a few times now and my Harry is sparkly clean with no flakes or bumps now. His skin is like a baby's bottom-but softer!! haha!

I'm new to this community (and not an native English speaker so pardon my language mistakes). I have really bad skin problems with my kitty. This is my third sphynx but I've never seen anything like this before.

The problem was there right away I guess. The baby was shaking his legs quite a bit. I didn't really think much of that first but then he started to get these small dark brown spots on his feet and tail. (He doesn't really like me touching his tail so it has to be sore...). First time the doctor said he has a little yeast on his feet but nothing more.

The spots won't come off in a bath. His face is also covered in "dirt" every day even though I wipe it with a soft wet cloth every day. Now the spots were growing in number so the vet took another look at him. It's yeast she said (or some kind of fungus but didn't get the test results back yet).

The vet recommended that we put him on a non-wheat diet and I try to wash him with Malaseb shampoo. I did this yesterday and the poor thing went completely nuts when the shampoo had to sit for ten minutes. Well, first everything looked great, the skin was soft and almost all that brown stuff was gone, but today... The kitty's whole skin has turned dry and flaky and dark brown and it's peeling away.

What can I do? Can I put some lotion on him? Do I try to scratch some of the flaky parts off? I feel so bad for the kitty. Is the Malaseb supposed to work this way? I mean the vet told me it can dry the skin, but I never thought it could be this bad... And she also told me to do this twice a week, I really don't think his skin can handle that.

I would be so grateful if any of you had any experience with this kind of situation. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures right now.

Administrator

I'm new to this community (and not an native English speaker so pardon my language mistakes). I have really bad skin problems with my kitty. This is my third sphynx but I've never seen anything like this before.

The problem was there right away I guess. The baby was shaking his legs quite a bit. I didn't really think much of that first but then he started to get these small dark brown spots on his feet and tail. (He doesn't really like me touching his tail so it has to be sore...). First time the doctor said he has a little yeast on his feet but nothing more.

The spots won't come off in a bath. His face is also covered in "dirt" every day even though I wipe it with a soft wet cloth every day. Now the spots were growing in number so the vet took another look at him. It's yeast she said (or some kind of fungus but didn't get the test results back yet).

The vet recommended that we put him on a non-wheat diet and I try to wash him with Malaseb shampoo. I did this yesterday and the poor thing went completely nuts when the shampoo had to sit for ten minutes. Well, first everything looked great, the skin was soft and almost all that brown stuff was gone, but today... The kitty's whole skin has turned dry and flaky and dark brown and it's peeling away.

What can I do? Can I put some lotion on him? Do I try to scratch some of the flaky parts off? I feel so bad for the kitty. Is the Malaseb supposed to work this way? I mean the vet told me it can dry the skin, but I never thought it could be this bad... And she also told me to do this twice a week, I really don't think his skin can handle that.

I would be so grateful if any of you had any experience with this kind of situation. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures right now.

Lairian

I found this post and thought I'll give it a try to see if anyone knows anything more about the problem.
My cat Doris have the same skin issues after using Malaseb shampoo.

She has small dark spots on her tummy and legs. According to the vet it's a yeast infection. The vet recommended to use Malaseb shampoo to get rid of the spots. The shampoo should be on 10 minutes before you wash it off. About one day after the bath Doris get dry, flaky skin on the head, neck and feet. See the attached images.

Anyone have any clue what causes this? Is she reacting to the shampoo? Is it not washed off completely? Should we try another shampoo or use only water? We bath her once a week.

Another thing is that the spots (yeast infection, acc to the vet) still remains. Could it be an allergic reaction to the food?

Gold Lairian

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@doris
Have they talked to you about possible food or environmental allergies? My girl who kept getting yeast infections has severe food allergies. And she would get a yeast infection as as result of her inflammation allergies. Once as week bathing is not enough to get rid of the yeast infection. I would talk to vet about doing a oral medication along with agressive bathing and cleaning of her blankets and anywhere she sleeps. It took me about three weeks to really get her infection under control.
Remember yeast infections can be very painful. She might shy away from being petted or held. Please get second opinion if you are not seeing results.

Lairian

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May 28, 2018

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I know this post is old, but I'm wondering if any of you have had any luck with curing the yeast infections since? My guy has it all over his belly and paws and it has been a struggle for 10 months now. Oral medications caused major stomach issues so that didn't work, I tried using an athlete's foot cream and it started to work, but now has gotten worse again. Baths seem to work for a brief time only for it to get worse after a day. I'm at my wit's end, and I don't know if it's a good quality of life for him anymore at this point.

Lairian

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@Orange
If the skin issue has gone on for 10 months you might want to get a second vet opinion. There are sometimes underlying issues if an infection goes on that long.
There are also medicated wipes that might help too.
I have used maleseb but I also used a conditioner afterward to help feed the skin and help it heal. I find the medicated shampoos to be very drying. I have had sphynx for 18 years and have been a professional groomer for over 15 years.
Ps
Have you looked into what kind of litter you are using? Some cats get skin issues from different litters.

Lairian

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May 28, 2018

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Thanks everyone for the advice and support! This will a super long post, I apologise, but here's Orange's whole skin story:

He has had this going on since right after I got him (I got him at 4.5 years old and his old owners never gave him a bath, only occasionally wiped him down with a wet cloth, consequently he was very very oily and dirty, but when I gave him a bath it must have upset the balance of his skin because the rashes started right after that). He was declawed on all 4 paws before I got him and so he has issues with clay litter, so they have one box with clay and and another with paper. The addition of the paper was fairly recent but there hasnt been any change to his skin so I don't think that has any effect.

He was diagnosed by the vet with a yeast infection (malessezia dermatitis), given 6 weeks of oral antifungals, which fixed it for about a month, until it came back. He was put on another month of antifungals but they started to really bother his stomach, so it was paired with cerenia, then put on pulse dosing - the vet said he may need to be on it for life. The longer he was on the medication the worse it got for his stomach and he started getting bad diarrhea from the cerenia. I started working at a new vet clinic (I was an assistant at another clinic for a while, but have been out of the industry for a couple years) and the new Dr suggested using a topical miconazole spray-on conditioner and cutting out the meds. I can't get the spray in Canada, but I managed to get miconazole (+chlorhexadine) wipes, and they worked well for a few days until the yeast started growing again and it started to get worse (at least his tummy issues were solved! He also gets probiotics in his food). Switch to a miconazole cream, this worked better for a week, then it got worse again. Switch to a clotrimazole cream, this got much better, for about 2 weeks, then worse and drier skin. Add coconut oil on after the clotrimazole cream, it got better for a couple days, now is getting waaaay worse. I've tried bathing him once a week throughout this entire process with a medicated shampoo, but it turns out the first vet didn't give a very good one, so I had to order in a miconazole/chlorhexadine one. I decided to give a break to the baths when I started the creams (thinking maybe I was washing him too much and washing away the good bacteria that balances the yeast out), and it's been about 3 weeks since his last bath (my other guy does best on once a month, otherwise he dries out too much).

He is going in to the new vet tomorrow to get a full exam and see if there are any other recommendations (I'm guessing trying the new shampoo and using it more often, but we will see what he says), or to potentially get a referral to the dermatologist (thank goodness I have pet insurance and that this started after I signed up for it!). Fingers crossed that the vet has some good recommendations, I'll keep you guys posted.

P.S. His name is Orange, but we always tell him we are going to change his name to Lemon

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Senior Lairian

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@Orange I am sorry to hear that your little one is going through this. I am having a similar experience with Agnes. It’s been going on for a while with us also
With her we were treating for a skin infection multiple times before realizing it was yeast. We are currently on a bathing regimen twice weekly with a medicated shampoo made by Henry Schein called phyto vet ck antiseptic shampoo. I will have to post a picture. So far the shampoo seems to help but it’s a process. The shampoo does need to be on for 10 minutes and then rinsed off. The nice part is that it isn’t drying her skin at all and has a light scent that smells good to me. While her infection hasn’t cleared 100% it’s much better from where we started. Our next option is going to be a visit to a dermatologist. Hopefully we can get it under control with bathing twice weekly for now.

Lairian

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Yeast and bacterial skin infections are not uncommon in both dogs and cats, but they are almost always secondary infections. That is, the skin is experiencing compromise in integrity due to an underlying condition, and opportunistic organisms like staph bacteria or yeast overpopulate, leading to infection and irritation. The most common underlying skin condition that leads to yeast and/or bacterial infection is allergies, either to food or to something in the environment (or, many times, both). The Malaseb will kill the yeast currently living on your kitten, but infections may recur if there is an underlying condition that isn't addressed.

I hope your little dude feels better and that you and your vet can get to the bottom of this!